Pauline Amelinckx vies for top 12 spot...

It was not clear, though, if this year’s competition will have an initial cut to just 12 semifinalists.

The two most recent editions had a Top 24, while the previous ones announced a Top 25.

Amelinckx, the BelgianFilipino delegate from the Philippines, has already advanced to the Top 10 of the “SupraChat” Challenge by winning her group’s round, and was also included in the Top 6 of the selection for “Miss Influencer” by winning the “YouTube Influencer” Challenge. Both pre-arrival competitions were conducted online, and relied on votes, views, and likes to determine the winners.

Canada’s Alexa Grant, whose mother is Filipino, also advanced to the semifinals of SupraChat and Miss Influencer. She also won in her group for SupraChat and was the “Facebook Challenge 4” winner. She and Amelinckx have already met and shared snaps together when all the delegates arrived in Poland and gathered in Malopolska.

“I guess you’ve seen some footage of me dancing around with the ladies. It was a lot of fun getting to know the Polish culture more. It was beautiful seeing everyone, regardless of age, live this experience and simply be happy,” Amelinckx captioned her Instagram photo, which was apparently taken prior to the traditional Polish dinner prepared by Miss Supranational organizers. She also shared how she felt upon receiving her sash that bore the country’s name.

“After all this time, Philippines [Philippine flag emoji]. I honestly did feel a little emotional. This moment was so surreal and filed me up with so much pride and gratitude. To everyone who lifted me up and kept on believing in me, this one’s for you. What an incredible honor to represent our colorful nation and bring our stories and Filipino spirit to the [Miss Supranational] stage,” she said.

Amelinckx had to compete on the national stage four times before she got to represent the Philippines in an international competition. She earned a title in the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant’s 50th anniversary edition in 2018, but the global contest she was supposed to join did not push through.

She then joined the Miss Universe Philippines pageant three times before finally getting a chance to compete abroad. She finished fourth on her first attempt in 2020, and was crowned Miss Universe Philippines-Charity in 2022. She finished in the Top 3 in this year’s contest, and received the Miss Supranational Philippines title in a separate program.

Amelinckx is now on her quest to score the Philippines’ second Miss Supranational victory, 10 years after Mutya Johanna Datul became the first Filipino woman to win the crown in 2013.

Reigning queen Lalela Mswane from South Africa will crown her successor at the 2023 Miss Supranational coronation show at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sacz, Poland, on July 14 (July 15 in Manila). Sixty-eight delegates are competing this year. n

In fact, Carlo had turned down several projects for films and TV after he decided to lay low and stay away from the madding crowd.

“Mga two years ‘yun kasi nga takot na takot ako at hindi na ako naniniwala sa sarili ko It even crossed my mind to go to the U.S. I was planning to migrate and ask my uncle to adopt me,” he recalled.

But fate had other plans for him. It didn’t allow him to do such a drastic move because after a twoyear showbiz hiatus, Carlo had a change of heart.

“It was a good thing that I didn’t push through with my plan. I realized (while taking a break) that I truly love what I do. Sometimes, we really need to experience such phase in our life, ‘yung mapapagisip tayo maigi kung gusto ba talaga natin iwan ‘yung trabaho natin. I’m thankful that I was able to assess things without having to regret my decision later on,” he remarked.

Asked if he still had plans of migrating to the U.S., Carlo assured that he completely erased the idea from his mind. “I promised myself that I will always do my best. Magagandang bagay na ‘yung mangyayari sa mga susunod na taon.”

Carlo recently starred as the male lead character in the first Summer Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Love You Long Time, opposite Eisel Serrano, last April.

By now, Carlo must have been busy shooting for Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko that is set to stream on Viva One soon.

Carlo and his co-stars Coleen Garcia, Rhen Escano, Ryza Cenon, Jerome Ponce and Kiko Estrada expressed excitement over the start of their shooting. They initially had a “look-test” to see if their pairing was perfect.

Carlo has Coleen as leading lady. The two first worked together in 2018 via the romantic drama Exes Baggage, directed by Dan Villegas but they were only seen in one scene, given that Coleen’s character Dwein in the movie was the ex-girlfriend of Carlo’s Nix.

This time around, Carlo and Coleen will be paired in a full-length story of Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko

In the series, Carlo is Benedict, who works as a chef in an establishment near Allie’s (Coleen) workplace. The two often see each other outside of their respective workplaces during breaks, and their connection begins. They become friends and eventually fall in love with each other.

Years later, Benedict proposes to Allie, and the two look forward to the years of spending life together.

But as they prepare for their wedding, they begin to rethink about and reconsider their decision since arguments and problems start to arise, not to mention the unpleasant stories and situations they learn from other couples.

Will Benedict and Allie stick to their plan of exchanging “I do’s” or will they decide to part ways and go on with their respective lives?

Asked if he is the type of person who can give up on love when faced with problems, Carlo said, “They say that in every relationship, it should be 50/50 (effort). But it’s not always the case because sometimes all you can give is 20 (percent). But I’m not saying that your partner must exert an effort. But you should both fill up the 80 percent. You have to give and take.”

The actor has a two-year-old daughter with former partner Trina Candaza. At present, Carlo is reportedly having a smooth-sailing relationship with Charlie Dizon. n